The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is one of the most valuable and commonly used

Question

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is one of the most valuable and commonly used tools available to the project team. Select one task your department or group is responsible for in your current or a previous job . Alternatively you may select a company you are familiar with or desire to research. Using the process of decomposition list two subtasks. Further decompose one subtask into two work packages. As a final step provide two levels of effort for one of the work packages.
Present your WBS in a simple indented format. Discuss how you might use a WBS in other aspects of your job responsibilities, at home, or elsewhere. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is one of the most valuable and commonly used tools available to the project team. Select one task your department or group is responsible for in your current or a previous job . Alternatively you may select a company you are familiar with or desire to research. Using the process of decomposition list two subtasks. Further decompose one subtask into two work packages. As a final step provide two levels of effort for one of the work packages.
Present your WBS in a simple indented format. Discuss how you might use a WBS in other aspects of your job responsibilities, at home, or elsewhere. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is one of the most valuable and commonly used tools available to the project team. Select one task your department or group is responsible for in your current or a previous job . Alternatively you may select a company you are familiar with or desire to research. Using the process of decomposition list two subtasks. Further decompose one subtask into two work packages. As a final step provide two levels of effort for one of the work packages.
Present your WBS in a simple indented format. Discuss how you might use a WBS in other aspects of your job responsibilities, at home, or elsewhere.

Explanation / Answer

According to Barkley (2014), the “process of breaking down project work is a bread-and-butter function in the project management field” (p. 174). The breakdown is called a WBS, or work breakdown structure. It is defined as a “valuable description and documentation of the work involved in producing the project deliverable. Sometimes the WBS is easy to define, but in more complex projects it is a complicated and detailed listing of work tasks, milestones, and resources” (Barkley, 2014, p. 174). It is more-so the actual tasks involved in completing the project than the components of the finalized product.

To breakdown the project work it is termed decomposition. There are typically 4 levels in a project work breakdown, they are: task, subtask, work package and level of effort. “The task is the highest level, denoting the major milestones in the project; subtasks are the next level down, with more detailed work below subtasks termed work packages; and individual or small group work tasks called levels of effort” (Barkley, 2014, p. 176). I will use a previous employer as an example for this assignment, the project involved restoring an aircraft.

Project: 1 Restore Aircraft

Task:    1.1 Paint Aircraft

Subtask:           1.1.1 Hire painters

                        1.1.2 Procure proper paint

Work package:                         1.1.1.1 Build list of possible painters

                                    1.1.2.1 Build list of possible paint vendors

Level of Effort:                                   1.1.1.1.1 Develop criteria for selecting best possible painter

                                                1.1.2.1.1 Develop criteria for selecting best possible paint

I may use a WBS in other aspects of my job and outside of work as well. Simplified, I WBS reminds me of the title page to a textbook. The chapters are the tasks; the sections are subtasks and so on. “The WBS development is a tool to be used for collecting and developing project-specific information” (Hauser, 1994, p. 41). In my job, breaking down a multi-layered project or task, a detailed WBS will identify what works needs to be accomplished and by whom. This is good for workers in lower level tasks to explain to them how their work will support the completion of the overall project, and without it, the project will fail. I could use this outside of work in several ways, I am restoring a ’56 model pickup and breaking down the work structure will ensure no effort is overlooked. It also helps to simplify a project into smaller and more manageable pieces so it will not be overwhelming. Another way could be with the church I attend; I could formulate a WBS to present to the church body when I come up with cost saving ideas or projects for the community. Instead of just identifying a project, a WBS shows a more manageable list of tasks and subtasks. If every line item is completed, it essentially guarantees the project will be completed.

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